It All Comes Down To You
by Blackberry Winter23
Summary: Deep down they know they are worth it, they are end game. After all this time they have to be.


_I don't know what this is or where it came from, I just know I really liked it and I hope you will like it too. _

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**It All Comes Down To You**

She never thought meeting him would be her strength.

It was never the right time for them, starting from the beginning. They were friends, yes, but there was something else. This kind of sexual frustration that took over in the most unexpected times, something that did no harm to anybody but them. By the time she realized it could be something else it was too late, he was with someone. It was the never ending story, whenever Tony felt like taking half step towards her she was already ten steps farther than before and vise versa.

His world shattered when he thought she was gone. His world fell apart when he thought about all the missing opportunities, all the things he never told her, all the love he never showed her. Ziva David was dead and everyone told him there was nothing to do, everyone but himself. He dug, he turned his back to his own boss but at the end, he found her. She was right there before his eyes; hurt, destroyed, hopeless but alive.

It wasn't time for them just yet.

They both took different paths and even thought it seemed like destiny was having fun playing with them, they always ended up in the same spot than before. One good day he stood up from his desk and talked to her in a way he's never done before. She told him he was in her life but then again, their destiny was still playing. A phone rang and days later her heart was being broken but she was a warrior, she's always been and she might have stumbled but she picked herself up just like that. He likes to think it would've been worse if they hadn't talked.

Next thing she knows they are talking about weddings. Uncomfortable toast, bad food, cheap wine, rental tuxedos, it feels like a fairly normal conversation between them due the circumstances. In a second, the atmosphere changes. He mentions the vows, she mentions the ring and their eyes lock before he mentions the kiss. She asks something, anything to avoid the intimacy the conversation was taking and even if he brought it back, she'd deny it. She could never accept she imagined how it'd be, eloping with him. Neither of them knows how it happened but it was like they signed an unspoken pact, ever since that day Ziva never saw Tony fully interested in a girl just like she's sure Tony noticed how she didn't had the slightest interest on meeting a guy.

Life changes in an instant, turns on a dime and if he could take the pain she's forced to get, he would do it without hesitation.

It's like all their post-elevator progress disappeared after one more member of her family was taken from her. She's physically here but her mind is wandering somewhere else. He tries to be here for her, he really does but company is not something she looks for, solitude is what she really needs so she leaves. He can do little but he's afraid of letting her go, the last time she left she almost left him for good. She chokes on her words and he knows there's more to the "Tony, I..." she lets out. He doesn't expect her to do it but she hugs him, she grasps onto him tight and he tells her she is not alone in her mother language.

She tells him she knows.

He feels like he's able to breathe again once she's back and he chooses his words carefully, that is until she asks him to stop. They go away for a weekend, courtesy of Tony's bright idea. He hates the forest, hates the sticky ground and the cold but he needs her to talk to him so he takes her camping. Ziva's first _s'mores_ are the ones Tony offers and the logs burning in front of them help her to open up. She tells stories about her childhood and he listens attentively, when her voice breaks while recalling a specific memory with her father he takes her hand in his and lets her head rest in his shoulder.

When the fire is almost consumed, they step inside the tent and Ziva laughs at his poor camping skills. He's not able to get her the expensive sleeping bag he promised but he has blankets, a lot of them. Tony encourages her to get closer as he points out their time in Paris and if the light wasn't nearly null, he's sure he'd seen her blush. She wakes up tangled into him, his arms possessively around her and her own hand grasping his shoulder. Feeling his chest rising unevenly she knows he's not awake so she allows herself to bury her face in his neck and inhale his scent before drifting off to sleep again.

The ghosts from their past never stop chasing them, though.

He's hurt when he sees Ziva looked for Tim before looking for him but, again, he would've done the same if the tables were turned. He can tell she feels guilty and so when Gibbs asks her to take him to Europe, she doesn't protest. They end up flying to Berlin and Tony has to think about his plans once again. There's no tension between them, they're in peace. When she needs to feel assured he's right there beside her and this time she doesn't ask for an invitation to snuggle at his side. It feels right… actually, it feels more than right.

That night they share their first dance and even though it's not the way she'd imagined it, they both enjoy it. She's close to melt into his embrace and she's sure she's already lost into his eyes but she keeps it together. They don't get their prime suspect but soon enough they are home again. She's speaking her mind and he's listening, as always. Her vulnerabilities take over her once more and he catches her before she falls completely, he takes her hand in his and everything feels better but they can't forget they're game pieces and so their destiny strike again.

She hurts him deeply and she can't make it stop, it's already done. He knows everyone makes mistakes and he feels guilty when he finds himself wishing she would've made that mistake with him. When she tells him she felt alone, his heart sinks. He loves the woman right before his eyes more than anything but he can't let her do whatever she wants with him and so he pushes her away until someone else tries to mess with her. Ziva can be a wild, dangerous mess but she is his mess, he makes it clear that nobody is allowed to go after the bear's best friend.

They fight against the world but their fights are not close to ending.

Everything changes around them and even if she won't accept it, he knows it scares her. She storms out of the cabin and Gibbs asks him to follow her, it is only him the one she'll allow to get closer. With her hand on his chest, she apologizes and her eyes tell him the words her lips are not able to speak. He doesn't blame her, the doubtful term _friendship _works for now. He kisses her forehead, he lets her know he understands and when they are forced to give up the only steady thing in their lives, they are there for each other. Battle after battle, they don't stop fighting back, they don't give up. Deep down they know they are worth it, they are end game. After all this time they have to be.

And when even fate can't tear them apart, the game gets boring and it finally ends.

Somewhere along the road, their paths connect. After all these years, after all the obstacles they find their way to each other and they don't hesitate. They feel even freer than the air itself, letting go of their fears does them well and they finally find the correct pace to walk together. It comes out natural and it's definitely is easier than she thought it would be. She's not able to keep it all inside once again and so she kisses him and it's like glory. They are like two pieces of a quite wicked puzzle but they fit, they've always fit.

They both shiver at the sensation when they are finally skin on skin. Tony's hands roam through her curves and soon, she's fond of the way he holds her tight enough to possess her and gentle enough to caress her like she's made of glass. Ziva's nails dig into his back and she buries her head on his shoulder, feeling every bit of him and memorizing the way he gasps her name against her hair. They collapse together and when they both catch their breath, he says those three words she never thought would be meant for her. He doesn't let her reply; instead, he moves to his side and brings her into his embrace. He leads her head to his chest and she tangles their legs together as she moves her hand up and down his chest, playing with the thin hair she finds along the way. His hand grips her hip and when his hand finds her own on his chest, he intertwines their fingers together and kisses the top of her head. It all feels magical, perfect, meant to be and so when the three words he previously said to her escape her lips, she doesn't feel scared.

She feels him tightening his embrace as response and that's how she knows everything is just the way it is supposed to be.

Together, they are invincible. That's something he's learned through the years. He never thought it was possible to love someone the way he loves the woman who's been there for him and with him for the past eight years and yet, he finds a new thing to love about her every single day. It's maybe the way her hair looks in the morning or the way his old shirts and sweatshirts fit perfectly on her tiny body but soon, he's captivated. It doesn't matter if Ziva's awake or sleeping, whenever he has her in his arms he knows this is forever and he is perfectly okay with that. His name sounds better when she says it in an undertone, his clothes fit better after she's used them to sleep, every single aspect of his life is better with her, that's her magic.

And he doesn't mind if they have to keep fighting against the world because, this time, he knows she loves him and she knows he loves her and that's all they'd ever need.


End file.
